Police: Two women removed from Addu station for disobedience

The police have denied allegations officers used excessive force against a woman inside a police station in Addu City.

The police issued the denial in a statement Sunday, after a video appeared on social media showing female police officers forcefully remove a woman from a police station as she resists.

Police said officers on patrol in Hulhumeedhoo on Friday night as part of a crackdown on theft, drug trafficking and gang crimes stopped and questioned a 37-year-old male who they believed to be on drugs.

“While the police were questioning him, a 35-year-old female said they did not need to answer to the police, got between the police and the 37-year-old, and obstructed the police from performing their duty,” said the police.

Police said that after the man was taken to the police station, the 35-year-old woman, accompanied by another woman, entered the police station, yelled at officers to release him, and created a disturbance.

Police said the women refused when they were told to stop the disturbance and leave the police station peacefully, and that the police attempted to remove them from the police station using their legal powers.

Police said two female officers were injured in the incident.

“They assaulted the female officers who tried to remove them, resulting in varying degrees of injuries to two female officers,” said the police.

Police said they are investigating the obstruction of police duties and disturbance, and are also looking into the police response.